Kloppers to meet SA premier for Olympic Dam talks

BHP Billiton
chief executive
Marius Kloppers
will fly to Adelaide next week to meet new South Australian premier
Jay Weatherill
to discuss the $30 billion expansion of the Olympic Dam copper-gold-uranium mine.

Mr Weatherill’s office said the face-to-face meeting follows a phone discussion between the new premier and Mr Kloppers at the weekend. Mr Weatherill also met BHP uranium president Dean Dalla Valle on Tuesday.

“I invited Mr Kloppers to come to Adelaide to meet me and talk about the Olympic Dam expansion – a project that is obviously critically important to the state," Mr Weatherill said.

“Legislation has been introduced into parliament to ratify the indenture agreement signed between the state government and his company, while BHP Billiton has also earmarked pre-commitment funding of $US1.2 billion toward this major project. I am pleased that he is able to accept that invitation."

Mr Weatherill’s predecessor,
Mike Rann
, had been criticised for flying to BHP’s offices in Melbourne to sign the indenture agreement this month, rather than holding the signing ceremony in South Australia.

During his visit to Adelaide next week, Mr Kloppers is also due to meet the state’s opposition leader,
Isobel Redmond
.

Mr Weatherill said he fully supported a “bipartisan approach" to the expansion project.